


Like a Nymph o' the Sea

by Ambrose



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, Prompt Fill, lots of fluff, mermaid au, ranya, some angst too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-06-08 02:05:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6834631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ambrose/pseuds/Ambrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>written for the prompt: "‘I was taking a stroll on the beach when I first saw you and I had to stop and look again because is that a fish tail? Are you– are you for real? I can’t believe I just met a mermaid, I can’t believe they exist! What are you doing out of the water– shit, your fin is broken! Okay, my car is parked nearby, I should be able to take you to… a hospital? Veterinarian? My place? You know what, we’ll figure it out on our way there’ au" from be-au-ties.tumblr.com</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tveckling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tveckling/gifts).



> The title is borrowed from The Tempest, because I can.
> 
> All the thanks to tveckling for bearing with and helping me while I write this!

Anya was walking along the beach. She enjoyed the silence and the solitude - although the days were getting longer, the sun would not be up for long still, and the cold kept most people at bay. It was just her and the waves lapping on the sand and the stars showing up one by one in the sky, and there was nothing more relaxing after a long day of dealing with people and having to see to all kinds of wounds and witness the stupidity of humanity in ways of the accidents and gun fights that she and her team had to intervene on. She loved her job, but being a paramedic was exhausting. She'd never really been a people person.

When she really wanted to be alone, she's park her car near the end of the beach, do a bit of climbing, and end up in an isolated creek between two walls of rocks that very few people dared to go over. It was her place, and she knew the way by heart, having often been caught by time while she was stargazing and having to find her way back by moonlight before the tide took over what little sand there was. 

So, after a very exhausting day, she made her way there hoping to put all of that behind her. When she peeked over the rocks, however, she saw a figure lying in the sand. It didn't take her long to see that something was wrong, and she climbed down as quick as she could without hurting herself. She'd be no good to that stranger if she bumped her head. They might have been sleeping, but no-one in their right mind would sleep with their legs in the cold water. If the tide had surprised them, they should have woken up; if they weren't dead already, they'd be in hypothermia. It crossed Anya's mind that it might be a dead body that washed up on the shore, but she pushed the thought away for the time being, and approached them from the side. 

It was a woman, bare chest – Anya caught herself staring and blushed - and lying on the sand, her head turned away, apparently unconscious. As a reflex, she went to take her pulse on the vein of her neck, and the woman turned her head towards her, scared eyes and bared teeth. 

"It's okay," Anya whispered, taking her hand away and raising them in a pleading fashion. "I can help. I'm a medic." It's then that she gave the woman an overall look for the first time, trying to understand whether she was hurt or had just been knocked from a boat or a surf board and had washed up unconscious on the shore. She should have dragged her out of the water first thing, she realised. That's when she noticed that what she'd first taken for the pants of a wetsuit, between the darkness and the fact that she was under water, were in fact some kind of fin... Some kind of fin suit, her mind supplied. What else could it really be.

"Wh- is this some kind of joke? Did Lexa hire you to pull that prank on me?" Lexa was the only one to know about this place.. But she would never ruin it for Anya, and besides, that was too unfunny even for her. It was getting more puzzling by the second.

"What... What the fuck's going on? Do you even understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you, Cheekbones. Who the fuck is Lexa? No, wait, first off, can you stop staring at me like I'm some fish on display?"

"Are you kidding me? You're worried that I'm checking you up?! I'm not the one lying in the cold water in a fur suit - well scale suit I guess - in an attempt to... What? Prank someone? You don't think it's the rational thing to do to check that you're alive? Come on, I'm getting you out of the water before you freeze."

She grabbed the stranger's hands, and if she seemed about to protest, she let her drag her out anyway, with only a glare.

Jeez,” Anya went on without even sparing her a look, “I should call an ambulance if only to check your head!" As she let go of her to reach for her phone in the protective plastic pocket of her vest (accidents had happened before...) her eyes drifted over her body again and she realised there was no way this was a suit. Her surprise and understanding must have shown on her face, because the creature now grinned at her.

"Done scolding me, now, Cheekbones?"

"Are you a..."

"I think you people call us mermaids. Though that's ridiculous, but let's pass on the details."

Anya breathed out slowly. She wasn't one to be surprised by anything. She'd seen a lot in her short time as a medic, and although supernatural creatures were a first, she liked to think she wasn't too impressionable. 

"Alright," she finally said. "But since mer...folk don't generally hang around around here, I suppose you had a good reason to be lying head first in the sand. And don't tell me you were playing hide and seek." 

The creature looked at her for a moment, probably puzzling over what she should do. Whether she could trust her. She still seemed wary, but she must have reached a decision, because she finally spoke: "alright, you said you're a medic, right? That's like a healer for you humans? I'm not sure you're any good at anything considering how fragile you people are, but it's not like I can be picky..."

"Do you often insult people whose help you need?"

The creature ignored her in favour of propping herself on her elbows to better sit up, and Anya sat next to her, considering that looking down on her wouldn't help. Anya was not one to make concessions but if this annoying mermaid was wounded or sick she'd need to get her trust quickly to help her as soon as possible. And then send her on her way. She'd sworn an oath to help the sick and wounded but that never included bearing with assholes, and she saw enough of those when she was on the clock. This was supposed to be her relaxing time, damnit!

"Alright." The mermaid sighed. "I was with friends when a bunch of orcas attacked us. We got separated. There's a submerged cave not far from here I wanted to reach, but one of the orcas hit me with its tail and, well." She gestured towards her tail and for the first time Anya realised its shape wasn't quite right, like it was broken. “I managed to swim away - I was lucky it didn't want to go too close to where it might get stuck on the shore, else I'd be orca food by now."

"I see. How do you people treat that kind of wounds, usually?" She moved over to have a better look at it, eyeing the mermaid for permission. At least the bone wasn't showing. And it didn't look like there was any internal bleeding, though with the darkness, and without proper equipment, she had no way to really tell. 

"I... Don't know. It's not like people generally survive something like that. Clarke would have known, her mother is our tribe's healer."

"Well, I don't see her rushing to help you."

"We flee to survive in such cases,” she defended her friend. “They'll assume I'll come back, or that I'm dead. I shouldn't have been separated from them. Clarke and Octavia might try looking for me but the Council won't allow it..."

"Politics... Tell me about it..." 

How many times had she had to ignore a call because her higher-ups thought the danger was too great, how many lives they could have saved... "Okay, well, I can't leave you there to die..."

"That's a relief", the mermaid commented, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

"Although I might after all if you keep that up."

"Oh come on, Cheekbones, you're no fun!"

"It's Anya, actually." She liked that this... Woman? Creature? Managed to keep her sense of humour. That was good, at least. She had no clue how she'd go about treating a depressed, wailing, wounded mermaid.

"Raven.”

Anya frowned. “Does it mean anything in your language, or... Because it's a bird in ours, but I don't think they go to the sea very much.”

“Nah, it's just a name. Why would my parents call me a bird? Anyway, what do you suggest?"

"I carry you home and... No, shut up, hear me out before you protest. I'll make you a salted bath or whatever it is you need to survive if that's what it takes. But I really need to get a good look at that wound, and I'll need at least a first aid kit, probably even material to make a cast... You have no clue what I'm talking about, do you?" This was getting frustrating. "I can't bandage this with algae," she said, grabbing a handful of the stuff that was lying around for good measure.

"So?"

Anya raised a hand for silence. She needed to think this through. She couldn't get her to a hospital, or even a vet, it'd be all over the news and then Raven would be sent to area 51 or a freak show, a water park or something... The mermaid may be annoying, but Anya wished that to no-one. She'd have to do it all herself... And of course they were in an isolated creek, and the sun was definitely setting.

"Okay," she finally said. "You're small enough that I might be able to carry you to my car. Not over those rocks though... You think you can swim around, even with a broken tail?"

"I can try..." She seemed in pain, and unsure.

"I could always go with you, make sure nothing happens to you..."

"I won't drown, Cheekbones."

Anya sighed again. The evening was going to be long.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I meant to upload on a weekly schedule but life kinda got in the way... I can't promise anything for the future but I'll do my best! 
> 
> All the thanks to tveckling for proofreading this for me <3

When time came to carry her to her car, it was fully dark out, and Anya had to rely on her knowledge of the beach, and Raven's indications. She seemed to have a sharper eyesight, better accustomed to the darkness. Anya supposed it made sense, seeing as she would live in the deep sea, but then again she was confronted to a mythical creature so she wasn't so sure _anything_ was supposed to make sense, at this point.

In any case she was glad that the night would hide the mermaid from possible strollers. There were things she didn't want to have to find lies for, and Raven probably didn't want to reveal her species' existence to the whole world. She seemed angry and defensive enough when it was just Anya – or maybe sarcastically annoying was just her natural character.

When they reached the car, however, the woman – could she even call her a woman – temporarily forgot to be biting, letting her wonderment show through instead. It wasn't so easy to manoeuvre her into the seat, fins and all, and eventually Anya settled for letting her lounge on the rear seat. Still, Raven kept an eye on her, looking between the seats and marvelling as the dashboard came to life with all its lights. She was almost laughing with glee when Anya turned the key and the car started roaring, then moved forward.

“Whoah, that's what those things do? I found a few at the bottom of the ocean but I could never make them work. You'll have to show me how to pilot it!” She was staring at her as she drove, eyeing her every move. It was slightly unnerving, and Anya tried her best to ignore it, answering her instead in a dry voice that mirrored the mermaid's earlier tone.

“Yeah, I don't think they're made to work underwater. And you'd need legs to drive them.”

“Oh, that's not a problem!” she exclaimed, and Anya took advantage of a red light to stare at her in disbelief through the rear-view mirror.

“No, I think it really is. You can't drive a car with a tail, I don't think so.”

“That's not what I meant. I can get it to turn into legs. How'd you think we managed to avoid nosy sailors for thousands of years? Turn into a human and play the washed ashore sailor or tourist.”

“I can't believe this.” Anya shook her head. “And you let me carry you all the way from there to the car?”

“Well, I don't think I'd have been much more helpful with two broken legs, now, would I?”

Anya grumbled a response, but had to admit she was right.

“Besides, it takes energy I didn't have. Else you'd never have found me that way.”

The mermaid was silent after that, looking through the windows at all the lights and buildings. Anya wondered what she was thinking, how she made sense of it all.

She pulled into her apartment's garage, and hoped they would not run into someone in the elevator. The mermaid assured her that she couldn't “change” with how exhausted she was right then, and she wasn't sure hoisting a naked woman up to her apartment would be better accepted by her neighbours. At least now she could pretend she was a drunk friend in a weird costume, if anyone dared ask.

In the silence that had settled between them as the elevator went up Anya tried to think of something to distract herself from the fact that she was holding a mermaid in her arms, naked and staring at her in a way that made it so easy for her to understand why the idiots in the legends kept drowning themselves in the hopes that they could reach them.

As they reached the top floor – without crossing paths with anyone, thankfully – Anya was spared the need to answer. She struggled a moment with her key, trying not to let go of Raven at the same time, until the mermaid gave her a smirk and took the key from her hand, opening the door for her.

“D'you have locks under the sea now?” she couldn't help but ask.

“How curious! We get all your shipwrecked boats, what do you think. I like tinkering with stuff. I'm a mechanic. Take what can be used, make new stuff out of it. It's easier if it's mechanical. Doesn't take long to figure out a lock...”

Anya settled her on the couch, and tried to figure out what kind of meal she could give her. She needed Raven to have legs if she wanted to heal her without needing a crash course in mermaid anatomy, and Raven needed strength to do that. Thankfully, even though she didn't have an open fracture Raven still looked in pain. She may have been doing her best to hide it, but Anya saw patients all day long, she could tell.

She went to rummage through her medicine cabinet and went to lay everything on the coffee table in front of Raven, with a glass of water, before sitting at her side. “Okay, I need you to take something for the pain, but I have no clue what will help and what might literally kill you. I'm not a marine biologist. But on the off chance you've raided a couple ships' medicine cabinets in the past and have tried them – recognize any of this that might help?”

Raven looked them over a couple times, visibly deciphering the labels – another thing Anya had so many questions about, but that would have to wait – and discarding a few with a frown and a shake of the head, until her eyes settled on some Ibuprofen. “Clarke – my friend – her mom's our healer, I think she has a pile of these in a sealed container for when we really need it. Not too sure though.”

“Alright. Try one, it's small dosage, so I figure it can't hurt. I don't have any fish to try it on first, sorry.”

Raven looked insulted for a second, but then shoved Anya's shoulder lightly, understanding the medic was joking.

She then told her to relax as she went to cook them a meal – she figured she could cook the fish she had in the freezer, that'd be as close to the mermaid's natural diet. Having no clue if they ate vegetables at all, she made a salad, and pasta for herself. She did not want to give her food poisoning, but she looked like she had a human morphology for the most part, and if she was stuck with her for a couple weeks while she healed – Anya groaned at the prospect – she could not live on salad. Although, if it came to that, she could as well go and buy some fresh fish at the market. They'd figure that out later.

When she came back to the living room with two plates, Raven was asleep. For a moment Anya wondered if she had lost consciousness and made to take her pulse, but the couch's blanket she'd draped over herself was rising and falling with her breezing, so she figured she was alright, just needing some sleep. And so she ate in silence, glancing at the sleeping mermaid on her couch from time to time. At least Anya was glad that she was now covered, because Anya would have lied if she said Raven's bare chest wasn't about as distracting as her face. And Anya did not make a habit of lying to herself.

Raven was still sleeping when she was done eating, but energy and a proper cast on her legs had to be a priority. Leaving her a note next to her plate and a t-shirt in case she woke up while she was gone, Anya rushed to the closest overnight pharmacy to purchase material for a couple casts. She should have gone on the way back from the beach, she chastised herself, but having a mermaid in your backseat really was distracting.

She came back to a fully awake Raven with an empty plate in front of her, and absolutely no shirt on. Then realisation hit her. “You don't know how to put a shirt on?” she asked, all but sarcastic, as she tried to keep her eyes trained on Raven's face. She wasn't so sure that it being the most gorgeous face she'd seen in a long while made it any easier.

“I do, actually,” came the answer with a grin. “I just don't like it. I'm used to the cold.”

Anya tried to argue, but Raven apparently caught on to the fact that it made her uneasy, and so wouldn't back down, teasing her instead as best she could, so that she finally dropped it.

“Okay, right, let's get this thing fixed so I can be rid of you sooner,” Anya said, quickly changing subject. She disappeared into her room and came back with a pair of boxer shorts, which she tossed at Raven. “You're getting changed. And put those on. No debating, or I'm throwing you back into the sea.” There was a lot she was willing to blame on cultural difference but there had to be limits.

Raven pouted, but when Anya came back a few minutes later, she was effectively dressed. And grumbling about how impractical humans were with their weird clothes.

“Didn't take you _that_ long to figure it out!”

“Eh, who's to say I don't like to peek at sexy sailors getting dressed?”

Anya resisted the urge to physically facepalm. The girl – for she now looked in every way like a normal human girl – had two broken legs that needed treating, even if she'd somehow decided making jokes was just as important. Anya admired her tolerance to pain, if anything.

Raven turned out, perhaps surprisingly, to be a quite compliant patient, even though she asked way too many questions for Anya's liking. Then again, she had to deal with much worse at work. But this was not work, she reminded herself, this was supposed to be her relax time, her walk-on-the-beach-not-thinking-about-shit time, her sleep time even, by now. Instead it had turned into take-care-of-impossible-creatures time and she wondered whether she was going crazy.

Raven was patched up in no time, however. She didn't seem too please at the thought that she'd be stuck on land for a couple months and shouldn't let her casts get wet, but she kept any complaints to herself, and actually thanked Anya.

After a quick explanation on how to use the wheelchair Anya had also rented from the pharmacy, and a short tour of her apartment that mainly consisted in pointing out the toilets and where the food was - “Don't you try to use the stove when I'm not here!” - they both went to sleep, exhausted, Anya leaving her room to her patient and crashing on the couch.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very small chapter, as it's been hard to get some writing done between uni stuff and writer's block, but I promise I will be back soon with more!

When she woke up the next day at dawn to get ready for her next shift, tired and aching, as if she hadn't slept but a truck had run over her, Anya did not expect to find Raven already up, staring at her from the armchair in front of her, a weird grin on her face that made Anya wonder if maybe she shouldn't be a bit scared.

“I thought you had a second bed or something, you should have told me,” Raven scolded, and Anya felt like a kid. Like Raven wasn't the one who was hurt and needed taking care of – although she couldn't say why she was so compelled to take care of her either. “There was ample space, we could've slept together.”

“Didn't think my couch was so uncomfortable,” she answered, rubbing at her eyes to hide her blushing cheeks at the thought. Anya simply did not blush.

She prepared a quick breakfast for both of them, which turned out to be a welcome distraction if she could ignore the two eyes observing her every move.

“I won't poison you,” she eventually said, looking over her shoulder from the stove where she was busy making eggs.

“I know”, the mermaid shrugged as Anya brought the plates to the table. “Just curious how humans prepare their food.”

Anya had so many questions to ask her, but they would have to wait, or she'd be late for work. She quickly downed her food and went to get ready.

“You're leaving?”

“Yeah, gotta go to work. If I have to feed you for a couple months, I better start earning more money”, she said, eyeing sarcastically the empty plate in front of the mermaid. She'd eaten about twice as much as Anya had.

“I'll repay you,” Raven shrugged.

“With mermaid money?” Anya joked. She hadn't helped her for the money – though she was not quite sure why she had altogether. She did not know what would have happened to her had she left her there for someone else to find, and she did not really want to think about it.

“Well, how many ships are there at the bottom of the sea, and your divers could never find their treasures?”

“Well, I still need to go. It's not just money, I'm helping people. Besides,” she added, more to herself than to Raven, “if I don't go they'll call Ontari back, and it's her off day, she might actually kill me.” Some people found Anya scary, but at least _she_ wasn't sadistic.

“I'm sure you could take her,” Raven grinned. “But alright. What am I supposed to do while you're gone? Stare at the ceiling? It's not like I can go explore your little world.”

Evidently she hated being immobilised like that.

“Well you could, the chair fits in the elevator. But I'd rather you didn't go and raise suspicion from anyone... And you'd need to put clothes on.” She was wearing one of Anya's tank tops – she'd probably gotten cold in the chilly apartment, there was no way she was doing it to oblige her – but she was otherwise effectively just wearing underwear.

In the five minutes she had before she'd get herself late for good, Anya showed her where the books were (she still didn't know how well the mermaid could read, but if anything her anatomy books had drawings, and there were always comics...) and how to use the tv, before she ran off, praying to whatever entity watched over both mermaids and humans that Raven would not set her apartment on fire.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Anya was almost surprised that the building was still standing when she came home. She did not know why, but she had the feeling that the mermaid would be trouble. A feeling which was confirmed when she came home to find her TV set in pieces all over the table, Raven inspecting the ruins of what had been a perfectly good, brand new television. Or perhaps she was trying to destroy it even more, who knew.

“What the _fuck_?!”

“Is there a problem?” the mermaid asked, apparently genuinely not seeing what was wrong about destroying others' property. The property of someone, Anya might add, who had pretty much saved her life. Whatever happened to gratitude...

She sighed and vaguely pointed at the plastic and metal bits on her dinner table, and plopped down on the sofa, too tired even for anger.

“Oh, that, don't worry, I can put it back, it'll be good as new! Told you, that's what I do. But all those electrical things don't work down there so I could never really see one. And, well, I turned it on like you said but it had people arguing over stupid things and I couldn't understand what it was all about so...”

 _Reality TV_ , Anya thought. _Or perhaps politics... Fuck, I have a mermaid over in my apartment and all she'll remember is how crap our TV broadcasts are._

“I decided it'd be more fun to see how it works exactly,” Raven went on. “Though I'm not quite sure I understand how it makes all these moving pictures yet.”

Oh, she was gonna _love_ Wikipedia!

  
  


Barely an hour later, and Raven had understood the basics of computers and the internet enough to be able to surf with Anya's laptop, typing slowly as she got used to the keys and where the different on-screen commands were, staring in awe at all the information available at the tip of her fingers. She could read English quite fluently, it had turned out, even though Anya couldn't quite get an explanation from her since she was too busy learning new stuff to answer her questions. It was uncanny how easy it came to her. Anya had taught a few people – her parents mostly, but also her younger cousins – how to use technology, but she couldn't quite remember any of them learning so fast. It was fascinating to watch, much more than the TV would have been.

The TV set was still lying in pieces on the table, but she started to believe that Raven might well be able to put it back together. In any case, she did not really want to watch it now.

  
  


Eventually she borrowed the laptop from Raven – somehow managing to ignore her pouting – to set some music on Youtube while she went to cook something. The website, of course, set off a new set of enquiries from the mermaid, evidently still puzzled by a lot of things the internet entailed, in spite of her apparent faculties. Anya could not imagine what it was like to discover the internet after having never even heard about it. She did not really want to overload her with information.

She also would have liked Raven to stop clicking every possible link and changing the music every other minute. She eventually voiced the complaint, and Raven went back to her surfing without disturbing the Youtube page anymore. She asked her questions once in a while, about this or that info she couldn't find easily, or what she was cooking, or what random kitchen appliances were called. It was a very strange experience for Anya as well, but in spite of Raven's most annoying ways she found that she did not mind so much. Having company for once was nice, and Raven's excitement for everything and anything made it quite impossible not to like her.

She was about to ask her to help set the table when she realised that her dining room was still full of TV pieces.

“Alright, princess, you'll have the next three weeks to play with my computer and ask me all the questions you want,” she started, “but right now I need you to clean that mess you made of the dining table.”

“All the questions?” Raven waggled her eyebrows at her, and Anya grumbled in return.

“So long as you don't expect me to answer.”

Against all expectations, Raven managed to rebuild the TV set in record time. When Anya turned it on to make sure it worked, the mermaid even had the gall to protest at her lack of trust in her talents.

After dinner, she found old reruns of _Friends_ , but soon grew tired of explaining the context of every other joke. Raven seemed so at ease with her, she hadn't realised to what extent she knew nothing of human life. Racking her brain for a movie that wouldn't be so hard to understand, she went to grab her old VHS collection that she kept in the basement of her apartment complex, and they settled in front of _The Little Mermaid_ , so that she had the pleasure to see Raven get angry at all the inaccuracies, and learn more about mermaids in the process. It was definitely more interesting than showing her movies about humans.

When the credits rolled, Raven turned towards her and asked, for the umpteenth time that night, “is this really how you humans think of us?”

“Well, the average person doesn't even think you exist, so. This is tales for children. Hence the shell bras you rant at so much, because most adults think kids shouldn't see boobs.”

“Well, that's stupid.”

Anya also suspected she was angry at how Ariel was presented, because she too collected things and was intrigued by humans, but she swore she wasn't half that silly. Talking to crabs and dancing with fish and trading her voice away for the sake of a guy when she could change her tail by herself? And anyway everyone knows you shouldn't trust sea witches.

Raven ended up telling her more about herself and the mermaids – how she went to shipwrecks old and new, sometimes with her friends but most often alone, and tried to recycle everything she could find that might be useful to her people, or that she herself liked. She loved everything mechanical: it wasn't really complicated to understand, and she could almost always make it work under water. Electronics were still bugging her, for obvious reasons. And since you weren't supposed to go on dry land, she never had the opportunity to figure it out. She spoke of a “Council” that she thought was too careful, too wary of humans, when she was sure that they might be able to explore without danger were they given the opportunity.

Anya had to disagree, though. She knew very well humans' tendency to dissect everything new. Mermaids were better off hidden.

“You're not so bad,” Raven had commented, and Anya did not really know what to say. She rarely considered herself as a nice person – sure, she helped people for a living, but that was it – and she didn't really know how to tell Raven that in this case, she was probably lucky that Anya found her, and not someone else.

“I'll have to show you _Dark Angel_ or the _X-men_ next time,” she grumbled instead.

Raven soon caught her yawning though, and suggested they go to bed. It was clear she wasn't really tired and did it on Anya's account, suspecting (rightly) that Anya would feel bad for leaving her alone to fend for herself. Or maybe she was afraid more of her possessions would end up in pieces if she so much as closed an eye in the mermaid's presence.

Either way, Anya was clearly dead tired and had trouble keeping her eyes open, so she did not try to protest – not even when Raven insisted it was the least stupid thing to do to share the bed if the couch was that uncomfortable. She fell asleep as soon as she touched the bed.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Waking up was not that agreeable as, in lieu of an alarm, Raven was gently poking her cheek. The sun was only beginning to rise, a grey light seeping behind the drawn curtains, and all she wanted was to sleep some more. Maybe to punch Raven too, but hurting one's patient is not recommended means to a swifter recovery, and in that instant she wanted to be rid of the mermaid as soon as possible.

“Aren't you supposed to work? You were awake much earlier yesterday,” Raven asked as soon as she saw Anya was awake, apparently oblivious to her death glare.

Once she was done explaining the concept of day off, Anya knew she would never fall back asleep, and got up instead.

It was all for the best, since they weren't even done with breakfast when the intercom rang. Anya cursed at whoever would want to wake her up so early – even though she had quite the idea. And indeed, mere minutes later, she was opening the door to Lexa. Her best friend's expression, upon discovering that she had company, was somewhere between a knowing smile and an apologetic look, not knowing whether she was interrupting anything. All she knew was, Anya never invited any of her conquests to her place, and she certainly didn't let them stick for breakfast.

Anya could see her friend try to work the situation out in her head, and it suddenly occurred to her what it looked like. She prevented any more embarrassment by introducing the two women to each other:

“Lex, this is Raven, I'm... helping her out.”

When Lexa noticed that Raven was in a wheelchair, Anya couldn't help noticing that her friend was disappointed. And although she would never admit it to anyone – and it must be the mermaid's magical charm, or something; she'd have to ask her about that at some point – Anya wouldn't have been opposed to whatever Lexa had assumed they were doing.

She busied herself with making some coffee for Lexa, trying to hide the blush provoked by her thoughts. Lexa noticing was one thing, but if Raven did, Anya would never hear the end of it.

They chatted a bit, and Anya was glad to see the two were getting along, even though no real information was exchanged. She'd started to consider Raven a friend, she really enjoyed her presence, and it would have been all kinds of complicated if she did not get along with her best friend.

When Raven asked, not even trying to be discreet, “can I tell her?” Anya noticed the renewed hope in Lexa's eyes. Did she _really_ want Anya to find someone so badly? It's not like she'd ever been unhappy on her own (although now that she had company, even if it'd just been two days, she wondered why _that_ particular thought ever disgusted her. Maybe it had to do with whom was involved) and it wasn't like Lexa herself had dated anyone since Costia...

At the same time, she thought over Raven's words, trying not to think too much over the alternative meaning Lexa was giving them. They'd discussed the risks humans might pose to Raven over breakfast – practically making her lose her appetite – so Anya knew her concerns. “She'll think you're crazy, and it's not like you can show her (I swear if you have me redo your casts I will dump you in the sea!) but go ahead, she's safe.”

Lexa, however, was frantically looking between them, misunderstanding what was going on. “Safe? What happened? Raven, did someone hurt you? Who did this to you? I can help! I'll sue their ass to hell and back!”

“Wow, calm down, Commander, nothing so dramatic!” Anya smiled. Lexa, being both a ruthless lawyer and a former amateur wrestler, had this tendency to jump to the rescue of anyone she liked, and to bring down the culprits one way or another. Which was commendable, but Anya had no wish to see her try and fight every orca in the ocean. Seeing her file lawsuits against them might bring its load of fun, though!

“I'm a mermaid,” Raven declared, in a cheeky tone that would have had anyone call bullshit even with a less outlandish statement.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Anya exclaimed. “Okay?! You're not saying it's impossible? That I'm crazy for believing her? Taking me aside and asking why I'm hosting her?” Lexa's reaction was the very last thing she expected.

“Nah, you're the most down to earth person I know, so if you believe her... Besides, I saw one, once.”

“You what?!”

“I mean I think I did. A couple years ago. But it's not like I could tell anyone. Besides, “You can't believe in fairy tales at your age, Lexa!”, “You must be practical, Lexa!”, “you're too romantic, Lexa!”... It was right after Costia, and I had enough to deal with depression without being consigned to an asylum. I ended up thinking I imagined it, but... If you say she is, then...”

Raven wasn't quite sure what the other two were talking about, and she might have felt a bit excluded from the conversation, but she was a stranger to Lexa – to Anya too, even if she didn't like the thought – and she understood that she wouldn't tell her anything. There was one thing she would not let pass, however.

“Who's the idiot you're mimicking, that I drown them?”

That made the other two laugh, unaware that behind her usual flippant, bright smile, she was perfectly serious. Lexa seemed to have accepted her without any hesitation, offered to fight who hurt her (nevermind that Raven couldn't picture her surviving a fight with an orca), and Raven would give that back with a mermaid's honour.

“Titus”, Lexa finally answered when she recovered from her caughing fit. “He raised me. Not so well, one might say. Good thing I have amazing friends.” She smiled at Anya, and Raven got the impression that she was seeing something rare; that Lexa was the kind of guarded person who didn't flash that perfect smile at anyone. And Anya had earned her trust too. It seemed that Anya, even though Raven had a feeling she'd disagree if the way she dismissed the compliment was any indication, was one of the very best humans she could have ended up with.

“Soooo,” Raven started, diverting the attention from Anya's embarrassment, “how _was_ that mermaid you saw?” She waggled her eyebrows at Lexa, which didn't fail to make her blush. The vague description she blurted out was reminiscent of Clarke, but Raven dismissed her suspicions. There were plenty similar mermaids.

“Soooo,” Lexa, finally recovered, mimicked Raven's earlier tone, “how did you two meet?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sorry for the time it's taking me to update this fic, my summer is way more hectic than I planned :/


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry for the incredible delay in posting this new chapter... updates should come in wayyyy more regularly now! Also I hope this makes sense, since I took such a long break from it :/

Once Lexa left – after much teasing – Raven decided it was high time for Anya to show her the world (Anya _tried_ not to snigger at the phrasing, she did!) and she made such pleading looks that Anya could not refuse, even though she suspected it'd be a lot like that part of _Lilo & Stitch _where Lilo had to stop her new friend from poking at everything in town. Except Raven's intelligence – and her looks, Anya mentally added; after all it wasn't without reason that she spent her time trying not to stare at her – could not be compared to the furry little monster's in any way.  

Anya often cursed - she hadn't really noticed before just how much her city was not navigable with a wheelchair. The only times she had to push one were back when she worked at the hospital, and then the place was specifically made for the purpose of carrying around much larger beds. Of course Raven was getting annoyed too, rightfully so, at the time and detours it took to go from point A to point B. It was all the more annoying to her that living in the water meant that she was not used to such constraints as sidewalks and elevators. 

Soon, with both women bickering and exhausted by all the wheeling and pushing around they had been doing for a couple hours, Anya decided it would be a far more enjoyable experience to just treat Raven to different kinds of human foods. It was getting close to lunch time, after all, and the mermaid certainly showed a fondness for food the previous days. Realizing that there was no point in asking her to pick between Chinese, Italian and a couple other options, she brought her to a small Nepali restaurant she liked, knowing very well that, if her own cooking talents, or lack thereof, meant she couldn't properly introduce the mermaid to her own culture's cuisine, at least _they_ would. 

Of course she had not expected the server, Emori, who knew her very well for all the times she ate there instead of at home, to wiggle her eyebrows at her when she noticed she had come accompanied by someone other than Lexa, for the first time since she discovered the restaurant. But of course she'd do that. Nonetheless, she showed them to a table without actually saying anything on that matter (Anya's scowl proving enough of a dissuasion). 

"You don't seem so happy now that we're here?" Raven wondered once Emori had left them alone to peruse the menus. "If you don't want to be here..."

"No, no", Anya promptly objected. "We're staying! You gotta try their food!"

"Then what is it? Did I do something humans should not do and weird out the server? She was making weird faces too..."

"No, that's not..." Anya was quickly thinking for a way out of this conversation.

"So what _was_  it?" Raven asked, aware that her host was embarrassed - her cheeks were getting redder by the second, and she didn't have a lot of experience reading human expressions but she got that one - and wanting to get to the bottom of it.

"Hum, well..." Anya took a deep breath then let out all at once: "I don't come here with guests besides Lexa so she thinks we're on a date."

"A what?"

"A date." Anya scratched the tape of her neck, more and more embarrassed by the second. "When humans go for lunch or coffee together... romantically?"

It took Raven a moment to process the information, and a grin slowly formed on her face. "How would that go, then?"

"What?" 

"If we were on a date? Your friend thinks we are, right? why not play the part?"

Anya blanched, before she regained control of herself. "Why would I do that?"

"Oh, come on, Anya, let's have some fun!" She ignored the grumbling she received for answer. "Now, how do humans _date_?"

"I don't date." Anya answered sharply. It'd teach her right to introduce Raven to more people... If Lexa learned about this, she'd never hear the end of it!

"Well, you know humans. You live and work with them all day, all year long, right? You must know how it's done." The accompanying eyebrow waggle had Anya both blushing and scowling at the same time, to the mermaid's greatest satisfaction.

"What have I done to deserve this", Anya muttered under her breath. It was hard enough to resist her attraction for the mermaid - was it a natural thing everyone experienced with her species? Neither Lexa nor Emori seemed affected... - if they were to pretend-date, where would it stop? How would she find the boundaries between fantasy and reality? Anya wasn't the kind to fool herself, and she certainly didn't do the whole pining thing. But things were different here, she felt like she could fall, and hard. And Raven wasn't even human! It's not like if she'd rescued some normal woman, had sex with her, fall in love with her, be able to see her once in a while over coffee and build something (or more usually leave it at that and stay good friends after they were done screwing), this one was gonna disappear into the sea and she'll never see her again. She'd remember it as a kind of hallucination, that she could tell no-one about. This was dangerous territory, and Anya didn't like complicated.

Not to mention that she would not live it down with her friends if Emori thought she was actually right.

"Don't expect me to do this anything but ironically", she finally answered. 

"Sure thing, babe," Raven answered, putting her hand on Anya's who had forgotten to take it off the table. She gave her the most sugary smile, before she outright laughed at the face Anya made. "What? I've seen people do that on the street earlier."

"if we _were_ dating, I sure hope we wouldn't be one of _those_  couples!"

"Fair enough." She kept her hand right where it was, though, and Anya did not really want to object to that. If anything, she'd need _something_  to prevent her from punching Emori when she'd gloat that she'd guessed right. "What kind of couple _would_ we be, then?"

Anya was saved from answering (but not from her mind forming quite the idea) by Emori, who was coming back to take their orders. Since Raven had no clue what any of it was, Anya ended up ordering for her before the mermaid would feel even more embarrassed. It didn't help that Emori was looking at her weird when she asked what a curry was, and they couldn't quite tell her she'd be just as clueless if it were chips or hamburger. It wasn't a mean look, either, Emori was just really entertained by Anya's clueless "girlfriend", but it seemed to unsettle the usually confident mermaid, and to her surprise Anya wanted her to be at ease. It should have pleased her to see her under such scrutiny, a tiny revenge from the embarrassment her question caused, but Raven still had her hand on Anya's, and she could feel her clinging, probably scared of saying something stupid and alienating Anya's friend. And, well, as much of a tease as Raven was, and as much as Anya loved to tease her right back (though she'd probably never admit it) Raven was _hers_  to tease. 

Realising she was actually jealous - of Emori no less, and she knew very well the waitress had a boyfriend anyway - and realising, thinking of Emori as taken, that she was not just jealous in a friendly way - it made the whole fake dating all the more excrutiating. At least she could pretend to be grumpy about it once Emori was gone with their orders. Even if she hated that inside she secretly enjoyed having Raven's hand on hers. She was both glad and disappointed when she could take her hand away to nurse her drink instead. 

Anya was not one to dither when it came to approaching women she was into, and certainly not when she thought she had a shot - after all, hadn't Raven just flirted with her? - but the situation there was entirely different. Not just because the woman was a mermaid, an entirely different species - and tales of selkies and suchlike never did go well - and after all maybe what looked like flirting to the human eye might be very different to hers; but because, when all was said and done, Raven would leave her to... wherever, and she'd never see her again. And she never got _jealous_ , of all things! And she never worried about her partners disappearing on her before! And, seeing how unusual it was for her, she suspected the notorious effect mermaids can have on people was not for nothing in there. And while another part of her told her it was just the fear to commit that made her come up with excuses, she also had no clue where it _would_  go if it were real. This was just temporary. Trust her to want the one creature she can never get...

She was distracted from her thoughts by a hand stroking her cheek, and she looked up to see Raven intently staring at her. For a second there she could believe it - could think this was closer than reality than some fucked-up game Raven had construed from Emori's assumptions to make fun of her.

But when Raven drawled, "What is it, baby?", she couldn't help noticing the layer of acting over the real concern. She put on her best poker face and smiled. Maybe this was just temporary, and maybe she could not get what she really wanted this time, but she could still make Raven's human experience worth it. And that'd have to start with not looking entirely miserable in her presence. 

When she did try to put aside her newfound grumpiness, however, Anya found out that she _was_  really enjoying Raven's company, as before, complete with the teasing and the faking a relationship. Even more so, perhaps, with all that. And did _fake it til you make it_  apply there too? She did not care to hope, instead focusing on enjoying the moment. 


	7. Chapter 7

When they finally left the restaurant, well into the afternoon, they decided to head back home, tired as they were from their morning's wheeling around. Flopping down on the couch, Anya turned on her TV, putting on some documentaries for Raven, who insisted Anya did her hair. She'd fallen in love with Anya's little braids, it seemed, and it was that or letting Raven pet her hair the whole time. Which, all things considered, Anya wouldn't have objected to, except that she wanted to preserve her grumpy, teasing façade. Besides, having Raven sitting between her legs as she did her hair and the girl asked her questions about all kinds of small things, was something Anya could enjoy too. 

Once Anya was done arranging Raven's silky dark hair into intricate breads, and had admired her work (or rather, the woman wearing it) for longer than she probably should, Raven still made no move to get off of her, instead leaning into her. And Anya _should_  probably have protested, at least as a matter of form. But Anya lived by one major rule, which was to do as she pleased, and right now she had rather stay like this, comfortably set on her couch, with a mermaid snuggling into her and keeping her warm, than to keep up with her reputation. 

She did _not_  intend to be so comfortable that she fell asleep. When she was nudged awake, she noticed the sun was getting lower on the horizon and the room had considerably darkened. Raven smirked at her, infinitely too close, yet far enough that Anya did not dare close the distance, no matter how she wanted to effectively wipe that smile off her face. Especially when Raven made what could be best likened to puppy eyes as she held up the remote to her. 

"There are no more documentaries and I can't queue new ones..."

"The hell you can't queue new ones," Anya protested, rubbing at her eyes. "You figured out how to unbuild and rebuild the TV without so much as a manual, but you need help to click a couple buttons?"

"Oh I can very well use it!" Raven's smile grew. "Only, I wouldn't know what to pick."

Anya found out, once again, that she could not resist those puppy eyes. Or, mermaid eyes, rather. She relented, and started a new documentary on the origins of humanity or some suchlike, all the while grumbling about her sleep always being interrupted by one annoying mermaid. 

"Pfft," Raven exclaimed as she lay back against Anya. "You don't mean that."

Anya was not about to answer that, instead pretending to focus on the documentary, which went through the first stages of "humanity", which she noted seemed to mean mostly Europe for whoever made it, once they got past the Egypt chapter. Raven was fascinated, once more. She knew some things, of course, from what books she'd salvaged from sunken ships, but most of them had been treaties on navigation, or geography, and the odd novel out of which she could only deduce some form of history for humans. She was adapting quite well, Anya thought, for someone whose knowledge of humanity was probably curtailed to Dickens, Austen and the latest Harlequin novels. 

They only moved from the couch when both their stomachs started grumbling, and then Anya, feeling like taking care of a mermaid was more than enough work on her day off not to add cooking to the list, decided to introduce Raven to the joys of pizza, and deliveries. When Anya hung up the phone, she was met with plenty of questions, and once she'd explained, Anya had to promise to let her open the door for the delivery person. And indeed, as soon as the doorbell rang, Raven excitedly wheeled herself towards the door - like a child excited to go trick-or-treating for Halloween. Anya could only listen in on the small talk from her couch, and pretend she did not feel at all jealous about Raven's half-assed flirting with strangers, when the mermaid came back, bright smile, and two flat boxes on her lap. 

"What is it?" Raven asked, noticing her face anyway.

"You just don't flirt with people who're working, that's all. That's just rude!"

"Jealous?" she wiggled her eyebrows as she plopped herself back on the couch, snuggling into Anya's side. 

Anya's frown deepened. "Maybe? But I also mean it..." There was not much point trying to keep it from Raven now that she had guessed...

"Ha! I was right! Don't worry, Cheekbones, _you're_ my saviour, I'm not leaving!" She gave her a small peck on the cheek, making Anya blushed.

Anya tried to ignore how Raven's small show of affection made her feel. Instead of answering - she was doing a lot of avoiding, she felt - she grabbed one of the boxes from the coffee table and put it on Raven's lap.

"Eat," she grumbled. 

Raven just smiled to herself, and spent the next half hour or so enjoying her pizza. She knew from the moment the delivery guy gave them to her that she'd love it, just from the smell that emanated from them. And it _looked_  just as good as it smelled. Not that so far, Anya had introduced her to anything but amazingly tasty foods, which were a great change from the raw seafood diet she was used to. Granted, her mermaidy self enjoyed that too, while her human-like self would have probably puked if she tried it, but humans just had so many different flavours, and spices and cooking just made tastes and textures wholly different. 

Human life was just so different than she had imagined, even if she was stuck in a wheelchair when most humans apparently thought there was no need to accommodate for that, and she could not be as free as Anya was, not until she fully healed anyways. She was enjoying it thoroughly. And she would be lying if she said that Anya wasn't making the experience so much better. The apparently forever grumpy, sarcastic human not only took care of her when she did not have to, but she was one of the least boring people Raven had ever met; she both matched her wit, and was understanding of Raven's ignorance, showing worlds of patience when it came to explaining all the simple things Raven did not know. She was not sure she herself would manage that... Last time Octavia asked her for explanations on an invention of hers, she quickly lost her friend with her jargon...

Truth be told, Raven did not know how she could thank her for rescuing her and keeping her secret. Too bad kissing the hell out of her didn't seem appropriate, because Raven would very much have loved doing just that. She was still considering it, actually. Not so much as thanks, one did not buy her affection, but just because, being Raven, she was used to following her feelings and get what she wanted. But it seemed Anya didn't want things to go that way, seeing from her reaction at the restaurant. And if Anya did not want it, she would not impose herself on her. This would be the worst way to treat someone who helped her so much, and the quickest way to lose her newfound friend. 

Still, if Anya had openly admitted to being jealous, maybe she had a chance. If Anya would ever consider acting on it with a girl who was technically from a different species. Maybe she was just not into females: from what Raven had seen of the world outside Anya's apartment, human women only ever seemed to go with human men... But Raven was always up for a challenge, and she was certainly not one to let such a trivial thing get her down. She'd make the best of whatever time she had there, as close to Anya as she was allowed, and hopefully once she was healed, she could choose to stick around with her new friend... A couple weeks were enough to learn how to be human, right?


	8. Chapter 8

That night they both ended up falling asleep on the couch, or, to be more exact, Anya fell asleep after some more chatting and documentary-watching, and Raven didn't want to wake her up a second time. She kept watching the tv for a while, volume at its lowest, but she was clearly watching Anya more than the documentary. It was weird, almost scary to see her so peaceful, her face lacking her usual animation. And yet she was so beautiful, so regal, so attractive, Raven could have contentedly spent the night watching her. 

Waking up to her staring the other day had seemed to unnerve Anya, though, so she tried to avoid doing it as much as she'd have loved to. Who knew, maybe her stare was so obvious it might wake her up. She did not want to leave her, though, did not want to spend the night alone in the cold bedroom when Anya was here. Maybe she should wake her up, her couch really wasn't so comfortable... But she was really tired, too, and it was so much easier to lift her cast legs over the opposite arm of the couch so she wouldn't sleep all twisted, and then to just snuggle up to Anya, burrow in her warmth, close her eyes, breathe in her smell and let herself be lulled to sleep by her breathing...

 

The sunlight behind the curtains woke them both up in the morning. Anya grumbled and rubbed at her eyes, trying to get up only to realise a weight on her chest was preventing her, and she found herself looking at a sleepy-smiling Raven who had apparently held onto her in her sleep. And she was on her couch. They managed to both fall asleep on her couch, and _of course_  the one time Raven could have woken them up, she didn't, Anya thought affectionately. They'd be in for a hell of stiff joints and back pain... At least it was Sunday, so she didn't have to go back to work until the next morning. Unless Lincoln called in to exchange shifts, as he sometimes did, but on such short notice she'd make it her pleasure to tell him off. 

"Morning," Raven mumbled, and for a moment it made Anya forget how grumpy she was, which in turn made her wonder just how far in she was already. She'd seriously have to ask Raven about possible mermaid influence on human feelings, but how could she even broach that subject? And did it really matter whether it all was her own feelings? After all, Raven _was_  fucking attractive, and she would probably want her influence or not. 

She stopped herself from taking that line of thinking. No, she would hate that! Yeah, of course she wouldn't hesitate taking a shot at a girl like Raven in any other circumstance, but she _had_ to care about her own thought and independence, and if she didn't... No, she needed to know before she did anything - and the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to act on her feelings... 

She had spaced out, apparently, because Raven waved a hand in front of her.

"Still sleeping, Cheekbones?"

"I wish. Comfortable?"

"Very," Raven grinned.

"Well, at least one of us is!" Anya grumbled. "I can't believe we've both slept on the couch, it's probably the most uncomfortable couch in the whole city, my back will never forgive me..."

Raven struggled to get seated, and off of Anya so the woman could move to a more comfortable position. All Anya registered at first was the sudden cold. 

"Come on, then, Grumpy, let's go to bed!"

Anya tried to ignore the part of her that was thinking up all the ways to misinterpret that sentence, and Raven watched her with confusion. 

"You're not working today either, right? Or you'd be already gone? So we can totally finish the night in the bedroom, where you won't complain about your old bones! Besides, wasn't that what you wanted when I woke you up yesterday - more sleep?"

Anya chose not to answer, and was about to head to the bedroom, following Raven's sound advice (it mustn't have been later than 7, despite Raven's comment), when she realised the mermaid was struggling to get back to her wheelchair to follow her. She was about to carry her from the couch to the wheelchair when she decided against it; now that she was holding her in her arms - very careful not to stare into her eyes too much lest she got distracted and forgot what she was doing - and carried her bridal style into the bedroom, gently dropping her on the bed. 

The situation did not escape her, nor did it Raven, who was looking at her with bright eyes. The mermaid freed her hands from around Anya's neck and brought them to her face, thumb gently brushing her cheek, testing the waters. When Anya pulled back with a cough, trying to hide her embarrassment at the situation she had created for herself, and acted as if nothing had happened when she slipped under the covers, Raven did not even try to hide her disappointment. 

The bed was horribly cold, and she regretted her suggestion, thinking about just how comfortable, how close to Anya she had been back on the couch. But one has to be selfless sometimes, and she did not want Anya to get hurt for her. Even if it meant having to be rejected like that in the future...

The bed was horribly cold, and Raven was literally inches away from her. Anya thought back to being on the couch, instants before, Raven huddled up on her, keeping her warm. It was almost worth the pain... And then she'd carried Raven here almost on a whim and... did she almost kiss her? Anya wasn't quite sure whether her brain was playing her tricks, but she was cold, Raven was so close, and even if she did not know for sure what the mermaid wanted, and herself didn't want to act on all of this (not just yet), her freezing, sleepy brain knew one thing: she did not want Raven to feel rejected, and she did not want her to feel so cold too. So Anya did the only logical thing, and scooted closer to Raven, wrapping her arms around the mermaid's waist. She felt her instantly relax against her, and put an arm on hers. 

It did not take long for them both to fall asleep in each other's arms again.  


	9. Chapter 9

When Raven woke up an hour or so later, Anya was still pressed close against her, nuzzled in her neck, and Raven had no wish to move. Well, she did wish she could see Anya's peaceful features as she slept, but there was no way to do that without disturbing her, and probably waking her up. And Raven wanted that moment to stretch for as long as possible. She didn't have to worry about anything, to think about what to do next, to question their relationship or Anya's feelings, she could just relax and enjoy Anya's proximity, the sheer intimacy of it, how at ease she was, her slow breathing tickling Raven's neck. She may never have experienced that in her life, she realised, were it not for her stupid accident! If it took a broken tail (or a couple broken legs) for that luxury, it was almost worth it. 

She started drawing idle patterns with the tip of her fingers on Anya's arm, still around her. 

"Raven?" Anya eventually mumbled. She tried to desentangle herself as soon as she realised she was preventing Raven from moving. "You've been awake for long?"

Raven didn't even need to see her face to hear how apologetic she was, so she answered, "just a moment," even though she was pretty sure it'd been a good half hour. "Didn't want to move."

"It's freaking cold!" Anya commented, and when Raven turned around to look at her, she saw she was doing her best not to shiver. 

"Yeah, it's weird. I don't feel it so much when I'm in mermaid form..." She grinned. "You shouldn't have moved, though. _I_ was warm."

She was happy to see Anya smile back, she almost expected her to bolt, after what happened earlier. 

"I'll buy you a hot water bottle to make up for it."

They kept looking at each other for a moment, sleepily, before Anya cleared her throat. "We have to get up at some point..."

"... Do we? I thought you didn't work today..."

"I don't, but we're both gonna get hungry. And don't tell me you wouldn't prefer reading wikipedia or watching documentaries, or trying to take down my electronics, to staying in bed all day, I wouldn't believe you."

"Depends what we do in bed all day!" Raven teased. 

Anya chuckled, but did not dignify that with a reply. She got up, pulling a sweater on top of the PJ's she'd put on the day before between dinner and yet another set of documentaries. The air had somehow gotten much colder, she realised, it wasn't _just_  that she was no longer cuddling with Raven, who was apparently hot in all meanings of the term.

"One thing's for sure, I'm not bringing you breakfast in bed, so if you want some, you gotta get up!" She called back as she left for the kitchen, counting on Raven's love of food to make her follow. 

 

 

A couple days came and went in the same manner, with both women hovering around each other, reaching for a footing in their cohabitation, trying to get a hold of their feelings and considering how the other might react, what the other might do. 

Anya had a long week of twelve-hour shifts, which offered a welcome distraction from her own thought, but also left her dead tired by the time she made it home, ready to fall into her bed and stay there til her alarm rang the start of another day. Raven, meanwhile, learned more and more about human life on the internet, not quite ready to step outside without Anya yet. She also found out about online recipes and Youtube tutorials, a great way for her to learn about cooking from absolute scratch, to keep herself and Anya well-fed. She had a feeling the paramedic didn't really eat much on such weeks, when she was alone, and she was determined to thank her for her hospitality by making sure that she would at least go to bed with a full belly for the time of her stay. It was nothing too bold, as Raven was just getting started, so she made pasta, sometimes with a sauce, or eggs, or salads, and could only think of doing better the next time, but Anya never complained, even complimented her, so Raven was satisfied. 

It was the last shift Anya had to work before she could rest for a couple days, so Raven decided to bake a cake for the occasion. It seemed a thing humans did, to treat themselves to dessert on such occasions, and Anya did deserve it for all the hard work she put in to help others. Raven had googled paramedics, and hospitals, and the whole EMS deal, and she soon understood how taxing that job was - no wonder Anya was practically falling asleep when she walked home! And then, when she was alone, she probably crashed into bed, exhausted, and just went on like that, day after day,  without any acknowledgement of what she did, of what she kept doing. Raven had more admiration for her than she ever thought she'd have, even for a woman who'd saved her for no other reason than that it was the right thing to do. And Anya was strong, seemed harsh, and sarcastic, and cold, and probably very few people realised just how selfless she was behind the façade. Raven did, though, and she'd be damned if she didn't show her gratitude. Even if all she could afford, all she could dare, was baking her a cake to celebrate upcoming day offs. 

Raven was actually giddy at the thought of welcoming Anya with a full meal and dessert, so much so that in her excitement she forgot to set a timer and almost burnt her chocolate cake. It still looked decent though, and she hadn't burnt down the kitchen, so Anya wouldn't complain. She finished up cleaning the kitchen, got rid of her apron and plopped herself on the couch. She was glad most of what she needed was within arm's reach from her wheelchair - Anya had made sure it was when she came in to Raven's first attempt at pasta to find out she'd propped herself on the counter to reach the spices. It had earned her a lecture, but two broken legs weren't going to stop her, so Anya adapted her kitchen instead. She'd also shown her how to use the dishwasher so she wouldn't even try doing the dishes herself. But even with these small helps, Raven was tired after an afternoon of cooking. She decided she'd earned a bit of fun time, which right now meant she was going on what Anya called a wikiwalk. 

That's how Anya found her, unaware that any time had passed, a few hours later when she came back from work. 

"Shit shit shit, I forgot to reheat the food!" Raven cursed. 

"Well, hello to you too! There's no hurry, you know, you don't need to do all that..." It was the weirdest thing for Anya, coming back home every night to dinner, and a cute girl dressed in her clothes (she didn't have another choice but still) wanting nothing more than to take care of her and make sure she was well-fed after work. It was oddly domestic, even though some part of her knew friends also took care of each other like that sometimes. She was usually the one to care for others, it was her job, and it somehow ended up being her job to care for Raven too, so the roles being reversed felt just... wrong. And yet comforting and sweet and nothing she could object to. That was possibly the wrongest, that she got used to it so fast, that she revelled in it, took comfort in it, looked forward to spending that time with Raven when she came back from work. It was scary how quickly it happened, and how quickly it could - would - be taken away from her. But when she walked through her door to find a quiet Raven, immersed in whatever she was looking at on the internet, suddenly get all frantic over food, all she could think of was how endearing it was. 

"Nonsense, when did you last eat!"

Anya tried to do some mental calculus. Too long ago. 

"There, you see, you need to eat! And I hadn't realised how hungry I was til just now! So, dinner it is!"

"Yes, mom!" Anya laughed. Still, when it came to it, she did not let Raven do anything. She had had a quieter day than any other this week, and she was not so tired that she could not lend a hand when Raven had done all that in her absense, damnit. She noticed it smelled a bit like charred food, but she didn't comment, since it seemed none of the food she could see did burn. But trust Raven to make her mistakes disappear. 

She understood better when, after a quiet dinner of sharing what she'd done during the day, and Raven talking about the new stuff she'd learned about space exploration that day, and talking about what they could do the next few days once Anya was well-rested, Raven invited her to look inside the oven, where she'd left her creation. 

"You baked a cake?!" 

"Tried anyway." Raven looked sheepish. "I figured you liked chocolate, since you have so much of it." 

Anya _refused_  to blush at the constatation, she was way past feeling ashamed of her chocolate consumption. She had fucking long days at work, and it was a small consolation. Now, a chocolate cake, though, that was a whole other level. "You have no idea!"

Raven indeed had no clue how much Anya would be pleased with her (slightly charred) chocolate cake! And, okay, she had to admit, she did a good job for someone who'd never even seen a chocolate cake before. But if that was all it took to make Anya happy, she was willing to bake a chocolate cake every day! 

More than the chocolate cake, Anya found really endearing how much Raven wanted to take care of her. Even though it also upset her that anyone would feel she needed taking care of, it was different here. Raven did not pity Anya for her long days, she just seemed to enjoy doing that, cooking and baking for them to have a nice dinner together in the evening, for Anya to have less to do, not because she _couldn't_ do more, but so she didn't have to. She suspected she was half doing it because she felt she had to, but at the same time, seeing how happy it made her when Anya complimented her - actually delicious - cooking, Anya wouldn't object. It probably also kept her sane, having something to do during the day, although Anya was certain the mermaid would see no problem in spending twelve consecutive hours on the internet. It was a wonder she hadn't found the most notorious sides of it yet. With an intelligence and a passion for all things technology like Raven's, in no time Anya would be hosting a mastermind hacker. Better she stick to cooking blogs and the NASA website!

Besides, Raven was enjoying all these foods about as much as Anya was, if not more, and it was heartwarming to watch her patient so happy despite her current condition. 

"You've got chocolate here," Anya pointed to her own left cheek. She was staring too much already, she couldn't just do that and then let Raven walk around with chocolate everywhere! But of course, Raven, like a mirror, tried to wipe her right cheek instead, not quite understanding what Anya grumbled after. And of course Anya could wipe it herself if she wanted, but damn it that was so cliché, and did she really want to get that close to Raven, wouldn't she take it otherwise? _Oh, come on, get a grip!_ she admonished herself. _So what if she does?_  

She reached out to Raven's cheek, to wipe off the chocolate crumb from the corner of her lips with her thumb. 

_There, you did it. That wasn't so bad was it! God I need to grow up!_

She wasn't prepared for Raven to turn her head as she pulled her hand away - just enough to nip at her thumb to get that damn crumb. 

"We wouldn't want to waste anything, would we?" she winked. She fucking _winked._  She knew exactly what she was doing! Anya should have known Raven would pull something like that... Lucky she had a strong heart, because at the pace it was beating, she was sure anyone else would have had a heart attack by now. And they were close enough in the well-lit room that Raven could not possibly have missed her reaction, she realised as she drew her hand away, cheeks flushed and not quite sure what to say. And of course Raven did not say anything more, just content to stare at Anya as they finished eating, the silence growing and the tension getting heavier.

And after over a week in Raven's company, Anya still didn't know what to do about her, and more importantly, about her growing attraction for her. It was clear Raven played on it, but she doubted the mermaid would actually _toy_  with her, so it had to be reciprocated... And with their time together growing shorter by the day, as the mermaid got closer to recovery, Anya felt like their chance of seeing where this could go was escaping her a little more every time. And yet... She'd never been one to be shy; she kept telling herself she'd have made a move by now were it anyone else, but she could not gather the courage. It was new for her, different, full of feelings. And their... _differences_  did not help her get over that blockage. But she needed to, she felt it more and more - whatever happened, she had to do _something_  or she'd go crazy.


	10. Chapter 10

But Anya kept silent as they finished dinner and she set the dishes away in the dishwasher, and then as they settled in front of the TV. Knowing she had no hour to wake up to the next morning, she conceded to watching a movie with Raven. Picking one was difficult, though. Raven would have been happy with watching another round of documentaries, but Anya was sure to fall asleep to that, and once again, if Raven's time was counted before she went back to the ocean, it was Anya's duty to at least show her some great movies! 

After a long hesitation between different classics she wasn't sure Raven would get nor enjoy, Raven interrupted her thinking by asking she "just pick her favourite one!"

And maybe honesty was risky there, and it would hit slightly too close to home, and make everything awkward, but Anya  wasn't about to lie to cover for her cowardice, so she promptly put _Imagine Me & You_  in the DVD player. At least if she didn't get a grip and say, or do, anything, maybe the movie would give Raven some ideas? She seemed to have a lot of those in general... Maybe a nudge would suffice to make her act instead of Anya... Exasperated by her own self and her tentatives of avoidance, Anya just sat back on the couch next to Raven. If anything, they could still enjoy the movie... 

Raven did not waste a moment to lay her head on Anya's shoulder, and Anya reflexively put her arm around her. That was definitely too close, too intimate, too muddy, but she was past caring. Whatever would be would be.

Now, there was no denying Raven was looking at her most of the time. Anya did not dare to look back, because Raven  was certainly not the kind to pretend she wasn't looking, no, she'd stare right back at her, and probably grin; she was a breath away and Anya was determined to get through the movie without doing something she might regret.

"They're gonna end up together, right?" Raven asked before the wedding scene was even over. 

"Shhhh, just watch!"

"My bad. I just assumed you humans didn't do that. It's just - I haven't seen men or women together in anything, you know? And she's marrying the other dude. In every human book I've read, that was for life!"

"Times have changed since the classics were written, you know? Now watch!"

Raven just shrugged and settled back on her shoulder to watch, seemingly content with the answer she got. Anya did not want to think what it meant that Raven had just assumed gay humans just weren't a thing. 

Anya didn't expect her to stay silent for so long, except for the occasional laugh, for so long. Apparently Raven had decided that she'd get it by the end, or would ask her questions then, which Anya knew she always had a lot of. 

Only came that scene where Rachel tries to rent a porn movie, and if it weren't embarrassing enough to watch with the person you totally have a crush on leaning against you, Raven just did. not. get it. and Anya found herself having to explain what porn was, and what the pun here was. How did Raven survive a week on the internet with her innocence intact? And of course Raven's expression grew from puzzled to wicked. which was even harder to ignore than her constant staring. She was anything _but_  innocent. 

Still, Anya managed to get through the next couple of scenes without having a heart attack or dying of embarrassment. Soon enough, however, the two leads were making out on a literal bed of roses, and she was getting increasingly uncomfortable, up until Raven commented, "that doesn't look very comfortable does it?" which helped release some of the tension. If she'd looked at Raven then, she might have seen her pupils were blown, and she was doing her best to keep to herself and not just say to hell with it and kiss Anya. 

When the movie finally ended and Raven had finished singing along to the tune ("Catchy!") she turned to Anya: "So, that's your favourite movie, uh?" 

Anya looked down. "You liked?"

Raven smiled. "An unstoppable force meets an immovable object? I believe that's what you call cheesy. And nerdy. Of course I liked it." She hesitated a moment, then took Anya's hand to gently play with. "Also quite informative." She was grinning when Anya looked up from their hands in her lap to Raven's face. 

"Informative? How so?" She was not sure she'd like the answer, but she needed to know what Raven meant by that.

 "Well, that's your favourite movie..." This grin again. "Which means the tough Anya enjoys romance after all? I guess I'll do red roses and candles next time instead of chocolate cake!"

That took Anya by surprise, and she didn't know what to answer to that. Was Raven serious?! was she seriously flirting with her now? Was she supposed to have taken that nice dinner for an actual date, or was Raven just joking? Or actually _suggesting_ a date? It would have been easy to ask, of course, but it was like her brain short-circuited. 

"Eh, relax!" Raven let go of her hand. Clearly Anya was panicking, and it could only mean one thing. She didn't want this. She didn't want Raven closer, she certainly didn't want roses and candles for her. So long as there had been a doubt she didn't say anything, but now that Raven was trying to make a move, she clearly objected to the flirting. And Raven would leave her be, of course she'd never force herself on her, but she hated herself for having thought there was more to Anya's attentions and her gentle looks than friendship and care; she had not expected it to hurt so much. She pulled herself away from Anya entirely. "If you don't—"

Anya saw Raven immediately withdraw, and it took her all of a second to understand the mermaid mistook her reaction. She knew if she didn't react now, she might lose any chance she ever got. 

"Eh." She reached out for Raven's hand, drew it to her lips. "I don't know what we're doing," she whispered, "but I don't want us to stop." 

Raven seemed to relax minutely, to breathe again. She  settled back against Anya's shoulder, letting her have custody of her hand. 

"So... what _are_  we doing?" Raven eventually asked. 

Anya turned towards her slightly, just to be able to look at her better, to get a feel for what _she_  wanted. She did not know what to say - was there anything _to_  say? a lot, of course, but in that instant - with Raven looking right at her, expectant, so close, with these bright eyes that seemed to take in everything Anya was and still wanted her - all Anya wanted to do was close the distance between them, to finally kiss those lips that had been taunting her for so long.

It was just like she'd imagined, and it was nothing like she'd imagined, when she finally pressed her lips to Raven's and immediately felt her kiss her back, hands at the back of her neck gently pulling as if to bring her impossibly closer. Raven smiling into the kiss, how her lips had a slightly salty taste, how smooth the skin of her cheek, and neck, under Anya's hand - she wanted to commit every detail to memory. 

Things quickly grew more heated as they let go of their restraints, all fear of rejection gone now, and the want accumulated in the past week just pouring out of them. Raven seemed content to let her do what she wanted as Anya explored her neck, her colarbones, with sloppy kisses and small bites, adoring, worshipping every part of her she had access to, eliciting soft moans and sharp breaths from her. 

It's only when Anya tried to lift her by her thighs to place her on her lap that she realised Raven's cast complicated things. The last thing she wanted was for her to be uncomfortable. She let go, pulling away, and what met with a look of surprise.

"We... maybe we should take this slow..."

"If my casts are all that's stopping you, maybe we should just take this elsewhere," Raven answered with her usual cheeky grin, and Anya didn't have to be told twice before she carried her once more to the bedroom - not with such innocent thoughts this time around. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the movie part isn't too confusing for those who may not have seen it (but if you haven't, you totally should!)


	11. Chapter 11

When Anya woke up the next morning, the first thing she noticed was the pleasant warmth pressed against her, and the arm around her, the fingers brushing her stomach as she breathed. The mass of hair gently tingling her shoulder came second, and the blissful memories of what had happened the past evening right after. She was most definitely awake, now! 

And of course, as her consciousness came back, so did her doubts from the past few days. She didn't regret what they had done - how could she? She had - they both had wanted it so much! But the problem with acting instead of talking was that, as much as they were on the same page when it came to intimacy, and as enjoyable as that was... She still didn't know anything about Raven's feelings. Or her own, really. She didn't know where this was going, and as much as she wanted to get whatever she could out of this - even if it was just going to be sex, even if it was just a short tryst before Raven disappeared out of her life forever - she needed to know! 

She gently shifted around in Raven's arms to lie on her stomach - nothing was so urgent as to wake the mermaid up, she'd waited long enough to have that talk, it could wait a couple hours more. She observed her, peaceful, deep in sleep, a small smile stretching her lips. She'd  be happy to wake up to that sight every day from now on... 

Anya chided herself for this fool's hope. As much as Raven seemed to enjoy the human world, this wasn't _her_  world, she did not belong, she'd never stay here, where she knew no-one but Anya, when all her friends lived under the sea - where Anya could never go. Even if they wanted to - and after last night, and the tenderness Raven had showed, she was willing to let herself believe Raven wanted it too - they could never make it work. There was no way.

Or maybe she was just telling herself that because she was afraid to consider the possibility that they _could_ , was afraid to have that opportunity and to mess it up, to mess up the one good thing that happened to her in months, years even, the one relationship she thought she might not wreck; the one person besides Lexa who could understand her, who did not bore her after a couple minutes in their company. The only person who was everything she wanted and didn't even know she wanted. 

"Hey." Raven blinked awake. She looked at Anya and frowned. "What's going on? Did I... Did I do anything wrong? Do you regret..."

"No, no!" Anya answered, too quickly. "Last night was... the best I had in a long time... It's just that... I need to know what we're doing. From now on, I mean... You and I. Are we... Are we a Thing? Or are we just having fun? I'll take what I can get, but I need to know..."

Raven laughed, and Anya what about to protest her mockery, when Raven just said, "Oh, come on, you're not that desperate!"

"No, you're right, I could have anyone," Anya said, wistfully. "But I don't _want_ anyone, so."

"Alright." Raven tilted her head, thinking. "I enjoy being with you. Spending time with you, cuddling, all that. I don't want to "just have fun", although... that _was_  fun!" She started playing with Anya's hair.  "But... I haven't been seriously with anyone in a long time, I'm not sure I can do this."

"I haven't, ever," Anya confessed. 

"I mean, we're not even the same species, right? That's just weird! But at the same time we get along so well? So..."

They stared at each other, both hesitant to make a decision. 

"You don't have any weird powers that made me fall for you, right?" Anya asked, hesitant, knowing Raven could take it very badly. 

She only scoffed. "You mean besides my incredible charm? Nah, sweet cheeks, that's all natural. I don't know what stories you read about mermaids but we do none of that. We're no sirens."

Well, that was reassuring... Silence stretched between them again, as neither knew what to say.

"How about we give it a few weeks, just see where it goes? And decide from then on?" Raven finally suggested.

"But you're... I mean, you're gonna be healed, in a few weeks... What are you going to do then? All your people live under the sea, and I can't..." Anya choked. She was afraid of the answer, but she did need it.

Raven brushed her cheek with her fingers. "Don't worry about that, Cheekbones... I can always go back for a little while, it doesn't have to be definitive. If this works, of course," she added, like she did not wish with all her heart that it would. She could see all the pain in Anya's eyes when she asked, and she only wanted to make it go away, to never see her hurt again. She knew very well she would be in this as long as Anya wanted her. "They can always visit! I'm sure you'd like my friends!" 

She grinned at Anya, who did her best to pretend she hadn't just been so emotional. But then again, it was Raven, she didn't have to always act tough around her. She did not want to. If they were to try and build something, she wanted it to be founded on trust. And Raven had trusted her with herself, with her safety, with her biggest secret... now she trusted her with her feelings, and Anya had trouble processing that, but she knew she could trust her in return with herself, with her own feelings. 

"Okay," she finally nodded. "Let's... see where it goes, yeah." 

 

**~ weeks later ~**

 

Anya had just taken off Raven's casts and was checking on her legs, doing her best not to be distracted: Raven, who didn't seem to be taking her health half as seriously as Anya was, was wriggling her toes in her face. 

"How's it looking?" she eventually asked. There was an edge to her voice, as if the teasing and not caring was just bravado to hide the fear that she may never swim again as good as before. 

Anya patted her knee. "All good! Looks like you'll soon be able to start professional swimming!" She couldn't help feeling a bit sad, empty. They hadn't really talked about it again since that first morning after they slept together, agreeing to take every day as it came, and even though Anya was content with their relationship, and felt that she loved Raven more than ever, she still was not sure, in spite of all the affection the mermaid showed her, that she was going to stay. Besides, she still had a couple weeks, months maybe, with all the rehabilitation Raven would need. She'd have to see with Gus if they could get into the swimming pool at night - having a swimming coach of an uncle might have advantages she'd never suspected before. 

"What is it, Cheekbones?"

"Hm, nothing!"

"You're making a face, is something wrong with my legs?" 

"No, no, like I said, you'll be fine! I was just thinking how much of a pain in the ass you will be when you'll have to do all that physio we talked about!"

"Are you kidding, I'll be able to swim again!" Raven grinned. 

"Yeah, and what about when I have to rein you in because you're not careful enough?"

"Don't worry, babe, I'm not gonna disappear on you just because I can," Raven said, suddenly serious, as if she could read her like an open book. "Besides, I just signed up for all these online classes, and last I checked, we don't have internet under the sea... I guess you're stuck with me a while longer!"

Anya stared at her, incapable of forming words. 

Raven brushed Anya's hair behind her ears, "That's what that was about, wasn't it?" 

She nodded slightly. "I figured... since we hadn't talked about it again... And you were, you know, so excited about going back to the sea... That's stupid and selfish of me, I should know, it's in your nature, I can't stop you..."

"I'm impatient, yes! I'm tired of being in a wheelchair, of needing help for everything! And the one time I can actually be on earth and have legs and all, I can't even use them! And of course I want to be able to transform again, and swim! And see my friends... They must think I'm dead by now, so it's gonna be awkward, but I want to visit, let them know I'm alright. I want you to meet them. Well, more like, you'll have to invite them, because Jaha's gonna throw the fit of the century if I bring a human to the colony, but." Anya's smile grew as Raven spoke, until Raven just swatted her on the shoulder. "I got it, I'm rambling again, I know! Don't mock me!"

"I would never dare!" 

"My point is, I'm not going anywhere. Not if you'll let me. I'm happy with you. Also." She grinned. "You have yet to let me take apart half your kitchen appliances." 

Anya pouted at that, but it was difficult not to smile at the same time now that she no longer doubted Raven would stay.

"Oh, I see how it is, using me for my wifi and TV, aren't you ashamed?" 

Raven leaned forward, kissing that pout away. When they pulled apart, she grinned her usual, mischievous grin. "We both know that's not all I use you for!"

"Don't be too cheeky!"

"You love it!" 

"I do!" 

"Now if we got ourselves home? I'm dying for a bath!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaand that's about it, friends! Thanks for sticking with me on this story, and an extra big thank you to all of you who kudosed and commented! I might come back to write some short OS's in this universe, but that's all for now :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so, I know it's been a while, but I had an idea for this new bit, and there it is! Let's call it a bonus chapter :D

After Raven was done with her physio - way more physio than was strictly necessary, if Anya was to be entirely honest - finally came the time when she needed to go back home. She swore to Anya that it was only just to reassure her friends that she was alive and well, and to introduce her, but Anya couldn't help fear she'd disappear, despite all the time they'd spent together. Raven was the best thing that had ever happened to her, of course something was bound to happen to separate them! What if the Council refused to let her go? What if Raven's friends didn't like her and convinced Raven to stay with them?

But she kept her worries to herself, seeing how happy Raven was to finally go back at sea and see her friends again. She couldn't ruin that for Raven.

So they rented a small boat for the day, and convinced Lexa to go with them. She knew how to pilot these things, and Anya really didn't want to stay alone while Raven was gone. They'd decided it was better and safer for everyone if she went alone... Which meant Anya had all the time in the world to regret her life decisions. 

It was a sunny day, the sea was calm as can be, and they set off early with a picnic. It didn't take long for Raven to take them where she wanted. 

"I'll be a while," she warned, "I didn't want the boat too close to the colony, you know." 

"Safer," Anya sighed, repeating the word that'd been in Raven's mouth all week long. She got it, mermaids could be dangerous, and they protected the colony. She didn't want to upset the Council if she wanted this thing with Raven to go on as smoothly as possible. But she hated taking a step back and watching, she hated being useless and passive. She was a woman of action, damnit! She spent her days running around and helping people... And now she had to wait, unknowing, while the woman ( _mermaid_ , she corrected herself) she loved was leaving... These were Raven's people, she kept telling herself. They had no reason to hurt her. But she didn't like what she'd heard of that Council. 

Raven smiled, what was more a "you silly, I love you" kind of smile than a reassuring one, and gave her a long kiss. 

 _This isn't a goodbye kiss,_ Anya told herself.

"I'll be back before you've noticed I'm gone!" 

 

Anya wished it were the case, because hours passed, and Raven was still nowhere in sight. She'd watched her disappear in the depth of the ocean, and since then she'd been waiting, sitting against the side of the boat with her knees up and her arms around them. Lexa had tried to start a conversation a couple times, but Anya's mind was not really there, judging from the half answers she gave her. So Lexa ended up sitting close by, in silence, waiting for her friend to speak if she wanted to. 

Anya had been there for her when she'd lost Costia, seemingly always knowing the right thing to do or say, or when to just stay there with her and say nothing. And this was nothing comparable, but she'd sworn to herself she'd be here for Anya if she ever needed her. But her friend was even less talkative than she was herself, and she'd always been very private about her feelings. In fact, a few months ago Anya would swear she didn't  _do_  feelings. It had been nice to see her open up and let herself be loved, with Raven, but she hoped nothing would happen that'd break her heart. If it came to that, she'd go to the bottom of the ocean and drag Raven right back out rather than let Anya be miserable. But for now her friend was resolved to sulk. 

When lunch time came around and Lexa heard Anya's stomach grumble, she went and got everything they'd planned for the picnic. She handed Anya a sandwich, but her friend groaned noncommittally, and did not take it.

"C'mon, Anya, Raven wouldn't be happy if I let you starve yourself to death! Now come and eat with me, she won't come any faster if you skip lunch..."

Anya huffed, but eventually got up and joined Lexa at the boat's little table out back. 

"Why's it taking her so long?" Anya finally grumbled halfway through their meal.

"Well, imagine if you hadn't seen your family in months, they'd probably like you to stick around for a while, especially if you plan to go away indefinitely!"

Another huff. "You know damn well I don't speak to my family." 

"You know what I mean. She's got all her friends down there... they've got a lot of catching up to do!"

Silence stretched between them as Anya pondered those thoughts. 

"Do you think I'm... asking too much of her?" she finally asked. 

"What?"

"I mean, like you said. I'm pretty much asking her to leave them forever... She doesn't know anyone but me. Well, and you. That never goes very well... I mean she'll be miserable..."

"Does she seem miserable to you? All I've seen is a very happy, impossibly snarky mermaid... She loves being on land... poking at electronics and whatnot. And believe me, she loves you!"

"But if things go sideways..."

"Then she can always go back to her folk! You're not taking her sealskin away or something... And besides, she'll make friends in our world too, don't worry! You heard her, she's already planning on getting a job in mechanics or engineering or something."

"Glad to see I'm not the only one who can't follow when she talks about all that," Anya grinned.

"I did law school, not engineering school... Point is, she's not staying  _just_  for you, and that's good. She won't be dependent on you either... And like you said before, her friends can visit her any time, And trust me, she wants to stay on land... so stop worrying yourself sick. We're on a boat, we might as well try to enjoy it!"

Anya begrudgingly agreed, and once she was in the water, she soon forgot to be grumpy, and time passed much quicker without her realising - until  _something_  brushed against her legs, and before she could see what it was, Raven came up behind her and gave her the scare of her life. She reflexively turned around so fast she almost drowned herself in the process, and worst of all, Raven was laughing her head off! 

"That'll teach me to miss you!" she mumbled.

"Aw, you missed me!" Raven grinned. But if her tone was mocking, she still came towards Anya to hold her and exchange a languid kiss. 

"I missed you too," she whispered in Anya's ear - and surprised her by biting into her earlobe.

Before Anya could do anything to retaliate, a voice she did not know echoed behind Raven: "guys, c'mon, you've been away for what, half a day? keep it in your pants!"

Anya looked over Raven's shoulder to see two other mermaids. The one who'd spoken was closer to them, and had long dark hair and fine, sharp features. She assumed from Raven's descriptions, and the sass that emanated from her, that this would be Octavia. Where she'd gotten that definitely human expression from was a question for another time. A couple meters behind was a blonde girl, chubbier than her friend, who gave her a friendly smile and wave. That must be Clarke, she thought. 

She gave Raven a short peck, now feeling quite self-conscious, and started heading back towards the boat, that wasn't so far away. Lexa was already there, she'd been taking the sun and was now leaning against the side to see what was up. 

"Race you?" Raven winked, knowing very well she'd win. 

Anya, who knew when to give up, waited til just before Raven reached the boat to yell, "first there makes dinner!"

Raven pretended to pout for a second, like she didn't enjoy cooking. She changed before she reached the deck, and grabbed one of the towels that were waiting there. She had nothing against nudity, she only did it to spare Lexa. And because she knew Anya had Thoughts about her being naked in front of other people, and while Raven sometimes enjoyed making her girlfriend pout with jealousy, now was not the time. She helped Anya out of the water, and they were soon joined by Raven's friends. 

Octavia made a point of stepping on board before Clarke, and exclaimed, apparently not for the first time that day, "I still can't  _believe_ you went on shore before I did! 

"Oh, please, Octavia! What about that time you went and had fun with those sailors on leave!"

"That's not the same! I even stayed in the harbor, refused to go any further, even though they  _insisted_ to get me to one of their bars! I was  _reasonable!_ And look where that got me, now you're the one who gets to stay on the shore!"

Octavia's voice was dripping with envy. 

"I told you you can come on holidays if you like!" Raven tried to soothe her, before she ruined everything by turning towards Lexa and Anya and adding, "she's just jealous i got there before her!"

Octavia landed a punch on Raven's shoulder, and Raven pretended to be hurt, but it was clear that the mood was light-hearted, the punch harmless, and there was no ill will between the two friends. Octavia grinned. 

"Besides, I'm not sure your girlfriend will want the company!"

Anya started to protest that they were most welcome, before she caught the innuendo and choked on her words. Usually Lexa would tease her for this (though lately Raven held the first place on that), and so when no remark came from her friend, she threw her a look, only to notice that Lexa was, pretty ironically, acting like a fish out of the water in the face of Raven's friend Clarke. Anya then realised no-one had properly been introduced, so she took it upon herself, and when directly addressed Lexa seemed to recover. Though she couldn't repress a blush when Anya grinned at her and winked. 

The mermaids obviously had a lot of questions left unanswered by Raven's short visit underwater, and Anya and Lexa about as much about what had happened there, so they spent the rest of the afternoon chatting amicably and getting to know each other. As the sun started to set, the girls invited the mermaids to stick around for dinner, since they'd planned way more food than necessary for lunch. Raven decided they had to test the on-board barbecue, and the mermaids went fishing for dinner. 

As soon as they were off the boat, Anya elbowed Lexa. 

"What?"

"Don't "what" me, what was  _that_  with Clarke? I thought you broke your jaw!"

Lexa looked at her feet, blushing as red as the tomatoes she was setting on the small table. 

"Spill!"

"You know when I said I thought I'd seen a mermaid once, after Costia...?" Lexa finally said, much to Anya's surprise.

"Yes?"

"Well, I think it was her. I mean, I'm not sure, but I'm... Pretty sure, still. But like, I can't really ask her! What kind of come on is that? And what if it's not her? What if it comes across as if I think all mermaids look the same!"

"I'm sure she wouldn't think that... You've got to ask her! It doesn't have to mean anything..." 

Lexa rarely lacked confidence. In fact, Anya could only remember one time it happened, and that had been with Costia... Lexa had pined for months before Costia had been the one to make the first move. And judging by the puppy eyes she made at Clarke already, this time would be no different. Anya sighed. She'd have to do something about that....

When the others came back with fish, they all realised they had nothing to make a fire with, so they gave up on the barbecue. Lexa made a face when they put the fish in her ice box, but they couldn't release them back into the sea half-dead... 

"You'll just have to come over for dinner tomorrow," Anya half-joked to Clarke and Octavia, "you'll get to taste Raven's cooking!"

The girls laughed, before Octavia became suddenly very serious. 

"Actually... We've sort of convinced the Council... Well, Clarke's mom really, that we'd be safe on land, so we'd like to see it for ourselves now! I mean, if possible, of course! It's just, I've dreamt of going my whole life, but it's never been safe... So they said anyways," she grimaced. "They also... I mean I think they want to make sure Raven is really okay on land, and she wouldn't agree to anyone shadowing her, so. It'd be good. For the, uh, relations between our species." Octavia grimaced again, like she couldn't care less about what the council thought should or shouldn't be. 

"And Octavia really just want to explore like she's always dreamed," Clarke added. 

"Well, uh." Anya thought it through, looking at Raven for guidance. "We don't really have a big place, we'll be looking for bigger if Raven gets a job, but for now, it's just one bedroom... And I'd be a terrible host if I let you sleep on my couch..." 

Clarke was about to protest when Anya cut her, "no, trust me, you don't. I tried it. Twice. That's a punishment."

She thought for a bit, then an idea crossed her mind. She eyed her friend. "Of course, you could always stay at Lexa's..."

Lexa stuttered for a second before she recovered enough to say, "uh, well, I do have a spare room..." 

Raven must have sensed her discomfort, because she reassured her that it was quite alright if she didn't want to, she didn't know them after all, and they could find another solution, or the girls could just wait a bit before they visited. 

But now Lexa protested, it was quite alright, she enjoyed the girls' company (Anya not so discreetly elbowed her and winked again), and she'd be happy to help out! She was very careful throughout not to look directly at Clarke, which Anya didn't fail to notice.

And so it was decided. And it would be no surprise when, weeks later, Clarke would come knocking at her door to ask for advice on "how to court a human", as she put it. 

But for the time being the group of friends made it to shore, and went their separate ways. While Clarke seemed to have some restraint, Octavia openly marvelled at everything. Anya smiled. She hoped Lexa had a good store of patience... 

 

As soon as they reached the privacy of Anya's apartment, though, Raven was on her, kissing her, apparently intent on making up for the time they'd spent apart that day. Anya hadn't realised how much she needed this, having Raven close to her, being able to touch and kiss her, knowing that it was real, still real, that she wasn't gone, that she was still here with her. There was an urgency to their kisses that soon had them gasping for air, resting forehead to forehead in the middle of the living room. 

Raven drew back to look at her. "What is it?" she asked, brushing Anya's cheek with the back of her hand. She looked so soft and loving, Anya had to press her head in the crook of Raven's neck to hide her own overwhelming emotions. Raven held her close, drawing soothing circles on her back. She did not say anything, waiting for the words to come out on their own. 

"This afternoon, I couldn't help but think... You'd realise how much better you were in your own world, with people who love you, who you've known all your life..."

Raven shook her head softly but waited until Anya was done. 

"I just... when you didn't come back, I thought I'd lost you."

"Anya, look at me." 

When Anya pulled back, her eyes full of tears, Raven took her lover's face in her hands and kissed her softly. "I'm never leaving you."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy, please don't forget to leave kudos and comments!


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